Moving is generally a topic of stress and confusion, but the good news it really doesn’t have to be. Changing locations of a home or apartment has more positive attributes than negative ones. Being forced to move because of an extenuating circumstance? Find out why moving is healthy for you and your family.

Relocating within the town you live in or to a new town is healthy. Given where you were living before you have had the chance to realize what aspects are important for you. You have had the time to realize what places you need to be near, like a certain grocery store, library or school. Moving gives you the ability to choose what areas to live near. Moving to a new town gives new cultural insight to your life and family. It is better to learn how to adjust to change, especially since life is ever changing. Accepting change and making the best of it will make you a better person.

Living in a current residence has opened your eyes to what you wish you had that would make your life easier. Maybe you desire a larger kitchen because making meals for your family is your responsibility. Maybe you need a designated office space because you work from home and get distracted easily. Whatever the case may be, moving allows you to seek out necessary criteria for your new residence.

Purging really should be done once a year, but most people don’t because they have gotten too comfortable. If you don’t purge belongings, things pile up and get stored in many different places of the home. When this happens you have a hard time finding things and forget what you have. Purging allows you to take inventory of your belongings and either allow you easier access to relative items or allows you to let go of things you have not used in a long time.

Moving allows you to get rid of old out dated items that you may sell online or in a yard sale. Once you have gotten rid of the old you can by newer up to date items. You also have a chance to freshen up your interior furnishings. Changing or altering your interior style makes you feel anew. Look ahead and be excited and don’t look back!

Changing residences gives you the ability to live a better life by allowing you to choose a better location, select a home or apartment that better fits your current day to day life and allows you to clear the clutter. Moving does not have to be sad or stressful, it is what you make of it so decide to make positive changes for you and your family!

Small living rooms can sometimes feel cramped, dark, and suffocating, rather than the cozy warm room that you may have in mind for the space. There are several tricks you can use to help make it appear bigger, so you can feel more comfortable in the room.

Lighten Up

Lighten and brighten the room whenever possible to help make it appear to be larger. A lighter colored floor will help a small room feel larger by opening the space. Include extra light sources and mirrors in the room to reflect whatever light there is. Consider going bright, light, or bold with your paint color choices and avoid anything dark in the space, which could make it appear even smaller.

Enlarge Your Furnishings

You may think that you need to shrink your furniture to fit the room, but actually the opposite is true. Whenever possible use the largest size pieces that comfortably fit inside the room. This will actually make the room feel much larger than it really is, while also making it more comfortable for those that are using it.

Float Your Furniture

Many people feel that they need to push all their furnishings against the walls in small rooms to open up the space. This isn’t always necessary, though. As long as you leave enough space to navigate the room easily, you can create conversation areas in the centers of the room by floating your furniture and pulling it away from the walls. This trick makes the room seem larger because of the extra space surrounding the furnishings, rather than leaving it all in the center of the room.

Go Big with Wall Art

Whenever possible, try to go big with your wall art as well as your furniture. Hang some large statement pieces on the walls to become a focal point, or arrange a lot of smaller pieces together to form a gallery wall. You can also do this with mirrors to help capture and bring a little extra light into the space as well.

Create Groupings

Seating is very important no matter what size the room is. Be sure to create separate conversation areas or reading nooks in the room to give people choices of where to sit. Doing so will make the room feel larger and cozier at the same time.

Q. What is the best way to deal with a tangled mess of cords? My desk is a disaster and so is my entertainment center.

A. To help tidy up your desk, invest in an under desk wire basket, which you can easily find at many office supply stores that sell furniture, and a power strip large enough for all of your plugs. Instead of letting all of those ugly cables and cords hang freely, run them through the wire basket along with the power strip. Tack the remaining slack together with a handy zip tie and voila! You have a neat and clutter-free work environment.

As for your entertainment center, the jumble of cords can be an eye-sore, as well as a walking obstruction in your home. In the case of audio/visual interference or technical difficulty, a mess of cords can make finding and fixing the problem a frustrating, time-consuming experience.

Before hiding the cords of your entertainment center, diligently untangle and separate them from each other, so that each cord’s origin and destination is clear.

Once all your cords are separated, bundle groups stemming from each individual appliance with twist ties or zip ties. For additional organization, separate cords based on their function; for example, keep audio cords in one bundle, video cords in another, and power cords in another bundle.

Cord covers are a handy solution if your entertainment center is set up away from your power outlets. Measure the length of cord cover you require, then route the cords through the cover. Attach the cover to your walls with self-adhesive. Unlike flexible cable sleeves, you can paint cord covers. Paint the cover a color that complements your room decor; this makes the cord cover look like molding, rather than hardware. Or, if your entertainment center resides in a carpeted room, gently lift the edges of the carpet behind the entertainment center to tuck your cord bundles underneath. Use cable tacks to attach the bundles to the floor before replacing the carpet; this will keep the bundles from bunching.

Q. I collect dishes. Is there a unique way to display my collection? I don’t want to just stick them in the china cabinet.

A. Yes! Display the pieces on shelves in the kitchen. If your dishes are colorful paint the walls white so that the colors of the dishes pop. It’s ok to decorate a room around your collection.

This question got us thinking that many of you probably have collections you want to display. No matter your passion (tiny treasures, oversize artifacts), here are ideas for displaying, organizing, and storing your favorite collections so they gather compliments—not dust.

Put small items like dice, match boxes or thimbles in a divided case. Colorful, varied collections look pulled-together but still playful in a weathered grid. Let randomness and imperfection be your guides: Split up pairs, mix sizes, place pieces at different angles, and leave some spots blank. Mount the box on the wall at eye level—before you load it up, of course—or set it on a mantel for maximum delight.

Use a sunny window to display bottles, glass or crystal animals. The sunshine will make your collection sparkle. Scattered groupings of two or three items outside the cases keep the composition from being precious. Don’t feel obligated to use every piece you have. Keep spares safe in a quilted box made for china teacups.

Play up natural collections like stones and seashells by showing them off in a fish bowl. Fill the vessel less than halfway (much of the beauty is in the negative space), and arrange the biggest pieces on top.

Cluster bulky play things like globes or vintage toys on a low wide shelf. When you have objects that are fun to interact with, you want to keep them within easy reach. To create a sense of happy abundance, pack in as many as you can.

And here’s the best tip of all – for dusting the many pieces in your collection, use a dry microfiber cloth.

I have golden oak cabinets and almond counter tops, what type and color of back splash would you recommend to give my kitchen a more updated look?

There are a few things to consider when planning a backsplash so start with asking yourself these questions:

1. Do you want the tile to blend or contrast with the other items in the kitchen?

2. How much room do you have? If you plan to keep an existing backsplash that’s part of the countertop, this limits the amount of space you have to work with.

3. Do you want the backsplash to be practical or a design element in your kitchen?

4. What colors do you want to add or pull out from your existing decor? Do you want to add a warm or cool color palette?

After you’ve answered these questions, consider glass tiles or large format tiles to give you an updated look.

If you still aren’t sure and need a visual, check out our virtual room designer. You can try on different looks here, to get an idea if you like large or small tiles, contrasting colors or tiles that blend.

My dog is incontinent and as a result my floor has a urine smell. I thought that my ceramic tile floor would be easy to clean but the smell doesn’t go away. We are now moving and I want help with a flooring option in our new home that will not absorb the smell and will be easy to clean. Any help is welcome.

Sincerely, Melanie from Miami

Melanie,

Thanks for your question! There is a general misconception that ceramic tile is easy to clean and the ideal option in a home with pets. Unfortunately, ceramic tiles can be porous, and combined with unsealed grout will allow the urine smell to remain. Going over the offending areas with an enzyme cleaner – available at pet specialty stores, or a diluted white vinegar mix should help your current situation. Once clean, have your grout sealed to avoid a repeat problem.

Porcelain tiles are a good option for your next home. They are not porous like ceramic tiles and will not absorb liquids. Be sure to have the grout sealed to prevent it from absorbing urine or any other liquids. Avoid stone – this option also tends to be porous and much harder to deal with on this issue.

You may also want to consider picking up a few inexpensive machine-washable rugs such as those designed for bathrooms and place them where your dog likes to lay. Your dog will find them comfortable and they may help you by absorbing a good part of the urine before it hits your floors.